Make a gorgeous pair of beaded earrings using a simple wirework technique. We made ours with handmade lampworked beads shaped like hearts, but you can make yours with any two matching focal beads.
We made a video showing how to make these earrings step-by step. Follow along to see how easy these are to make. Then make your own using the steps below.
Video How-to: Glass Bead Earrings
How To Make Glass Bead Earrings
Materials
2 Venetian glass heart beads
2 topaz bicone crystal beads, 3mm
2 silver earring wires
2 silver headpins
Tools
chain-nose pliers
round-nose pliers
wire cutters
Steps
1. To get started, slide a heart bead (or your focal bead) and then a bicone bead onto a head pin. Make sure to orient your bead so it will sit upright when you wear the earrings.
2. Next make a wrapped loop in the headpin. To do this, grip the headpin wire just above the bicone with the round-nose pliers. Bend the wire over the pliers 90 degrees. Reposition the pliers, gripping the wire at the 90-degree bend. Grab the end of the wire with your fingers and wrap it around the pliers to make a partial loop, using the pliers like a mandrel. Shift the pliers again and continue wrapping the wire around the pliers to form a loop.
3. Grasp the loop flat in the jaws of the chain-nose pliers. Grab the end of the wire with your fingers and wrap it twice around the neck of the headpin. Trim the end with the flush cutters.
4. To finish your earring, open the loop at the end of an earring wire using the chain-nose pliers and the round-nose pliers. (Open the loop as you’d open a door so the loop doesn’t lose its shape.) Slide on the beaded headpin and close the earring wire loop. Repeat to make a second earring.
Here’s another pair we made with a different set of hearts (because we each wanted a pair!).
Aren’t these lovely? We’d love to hear how you like this technique. Have you made earrings this way? Any tips to share? We love hearing from you!
Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty
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